The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-03-18

me more favorably. Do you not agree
Al

me more favorably. Do you not agree
with me, Miss Luttrell?"
IL don't known stammered Con-
ME. 81 cant remember. It's ages
and ages since have seen him. We
were both children then!"
"Ah! IndeedP" said the colonel.
Things were indeed traDsposed now.
And one night, when she was invited
to a reception which Mr.. Leigh was
expected to attend, Comics heart
throbbed tumultuously.
my old lOverr' she said to herself;
any discarded sutton! How strangely
all this has come about! | wontl,r
what he will say when he meets nic?'
Mr.. Leigh met his former i,anc W..
the utm ost c;llmnrss. H. il haa'na!r,.
1--WE are old friends, are we nOtp"
said he. MAY have the honor Of
your hand for the next dance? 1t is a
waltz, believe"
So the meeting was over, and Con-
ME was angry at herself for fancying
that it would be different from any
other casual introduction.
''Oh, you fool!'' she said apostrophiz-
ing herself in the looking-glass that
night. 'Oh, you horrid, mean-spirited
little idiot! haven't particle of
patience with you! You ought to be
shut up in convent. or thrown down
well, or something's
And then. poor girl! she sat down
and cried heartily.
The vacation went by, like a happy,
fevered dream. BY turns, Connie did
not know whether she was utterly
miserable or unreasonably happy,
She wished herself back a thousand
times at Chaplain; and yet whenever
she thought of leaving Brighton, she
was overwhelmed with despair.
What is to be the end of thisp" she
thought. '.Of course he will marry
Miss Vendeleur. She is rich and
beautiful, and exactly suited to be his
wife. Everybody says so, but"
And she turned away with choking
sensation at her heart.
'Ir' she cried. II who have always
despised love-sick damsels, to think
that this should be my fate! But l
will 60 to the ball to-night-my last
night here-and then, back to the old
lifer' r.
Miss Vandeleur was there, in pale
pink tulle and pearls, and on her fin.
ger their sparkled crescent of dia-
monds.
ConnIe's heart sank when she saw it.
They are engaged" she thought.
'Oh, / knew was sure it would be
sor
But after Leigh had danced one
galop with Miss Vandeleur, he crossed
the room to where Connie was sitting,
all pallid and dropping.
'.Miss Luttrell," said he gently;
'.may speak to yOu?'
.'He is going to tell me now,"
thought the girl, with jump at her
heart. "Oh, why does he select ME
for his cOnfidantp' 7
But she answered with shadOwy,
sickly sort of smile
..Oh, certainly-of courser'
Connie" he said, "you accepted
me once, and then you rejected me-
"Y-yes! faltered Connie. Il
that isl didn't reject you, / thought
l had changed my mind, but now
now am sure that love you as much
as ever l didr' ...s
She spoke the rash, daring words in
answer to a sudden light i'm his eyes;
the next instant her hand was clasped
tightly in his.
Suddenly she withdrew it with a
start.
miss Vandeleur!" she cried. what
will she sayp" a
miss Vandeleur is just affianced to
Colonel Graham, my most intimate
friend. Connie, there is only one wo-
man i'm the world whom l shall ever
call wife, and that is you! Shall we
begin our love-life again?"
So they were engaged a second time,
and Kate Laurence was the brides
maid.